And You Thought Your Boss Was Bad, Week 11 Day 2, 2 Samuel 18, Psalm 59

And You Thought Your Boss Was Bad, Week 11 Day 2, 2 Samuel 18, Psalm 59

So David kills Goliath and moves from part time service to full time service of King Saul.  Talk about a promotion.  David becomes best friends forever with Jonathan, the king’s son.  And everything he does in the service of the king is successful.  So David gets a further promotion, a high rank in Saul’s army.  What can go wrong?

Well, everything.  It turns out that Saul is a bit of a difficult boss.  Ever had a tough boss?  I have.  I’ve been blessed with some really good bosses throughout my career.  I’ve had a couple of real stinkers.    The thing that’s bothered me the most about the bad ones what that they were more worried about trying to make themselves look good then they were about helping me to get my job done.  Maybe those former bosses of mine went to the Saul School of Management.

After returning home from battle the women are singing and dancing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”  “And Saul was angry; this refrain galled them.”  Saul is jealous of David and his accomplishments.  How jealous?

David is playing his harp.  Saul has his spear.  Saul tries to kill David with his spear, twice.  Okay, that qualifies as jealous.  So Saul sends David away to command over a thousand men.  And David is still successful and safe, at least for the moment.

So what can we make of this.  We’ve got the current king who has fallen out of God’s favor.  We’ve David who has been anointed as the future king.   Not clear if current king Saul is aware of that anointing.  But mad or not, evil spirit or not, Saul can see the writing on the wall.  If David keeps up his successful ways, “What more can he get but the kingdom?”

We’ll see how David handles this in the next few days.  But what is clear is that David, anointed to be king David, David the most popular, David the obvious best candidate for king, he just continues to play his harp and serve the current king.  Oh, and dodge spears too.  Yeah, spear dodging is another one of David’s many talents. 

If it were me I’d be sorely tempted to take my rightful place as king.  I’d rationalize how I was the anointed one.  I’d be able to justify doing whatever I needed to do to become king.  I was anointed after all.  If I don’t take my rightful place as king and get rid of my spear chucking rival, well I might be a little too slow ducking next time.  Then what’s God going to do for a king?  And I am appointed to become king after all.  I’m sure that God wouldn’t mind me helping things along.

But not David.  He continues to serve his spear chucking leader, faithfully, successfully, continually, patiently.

And that is perhaps David’s greatest gift, his patience.  He doesn’t force God’s hand.  He doesn’t take what will be his rightful place.  Faced with his possible death, he still remains faithful to his God and his spear chucking king.  Patience and faithfulness, David had those in  abundance.

Now it’s not that he’s unaware.  He’s not even silent about his plight.  Read Psalm 59, read all the Psalms.  David is acutely aware of the danger that he faces.  But if he wasn’t in danger, if he wasn’t aware of that danger, we would not see his faithfulness and his patience. 

We tend to think we are doing what God wants when things go well.  But David’s situation is a very mixed bag.  Everything he does in service of the king is successful.  But it only brings him danger and grief. 

So, using my situation as a barometer of how well I’m serving God is not the best way to tell if I’m on track.  I could be doing exactly what God wants me to do and still face incredible hardship and danger. 

 Some of my best jobs have been doing difficult things that required great effort.  Some the of the things that have brought the most satisfaction in my life were not lauded by colleagues or others as success.  And in my Christian walk it’s not the worldly measures of success that indicate success in the eyes of God.

Success in God is simply relying on Him and doing what He has called me to do.  Regardless of what the world says.  Regardless of what my boss says.  And sometimes regardless of any actual outwared sign of success.  To the world I may look like a failure.  To the world it may look like I’m wasting my time.  But to God, it’s simply being faithful.  And that is the only measure of success in God.

God, once again I ask that You help me to keep my heart and mind focused on You and doing Your will.  That’s often difficult for me.  I want to plan.  I want to measure.  I want to see success.  You’ve not called me to fail.  But neither have You called me to succeed on my own.  “Unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain who build it.”  Lord, may You build the house and not my own efforts.  Just tell me where to work Lord.  And keep me humble.  Oh, and if It’s not too much trouble, please help to me duck any spears chucked my way.  Amen

Leonard